Radio Frequency IDentification (RFID) tags can be used in many ways for locating and identifying objects that they are attached to. RFID tags are particularly useful in product-related and service-related industries for tracking large numbers of objects are being processed, inventoried, or handled. In such cases, an RFID tag is usually attached to individual items, or to their packages.
In principle, RFID techniques entail using a device called an RFID reader to interrogate one or more RFID tags. Interrogation is performed by the reader transmitting a Radio Frequency (RF) wave. A tag that senses the interrogating RF wave responds by transmitting back another RF wave, a process known as backscatter. Backscatter may take place in a number of ways. The response may further encode a number stored internally in the tag. The response, and the number if available, is decoded by the reader, which thereby identifies, counts, or otherwise interacts with the associated item. The number can denote a serial number, a price, a date, a destination, other attribute(s), any combination of attributes, and so on.
An RFID tag typically includes an antenna system, a radio section, a logical section, and a memory. Advances in semiconductor technology have miniaturized the electronics so much that an RFID tag can generate the backscatter while powered by only the RF signal it receives, enabling some RFID tags to operate without a battery.
A challenge in the operation of RFID systems arises from interference, when other RF signals are also transmitted in the vicinity at the same time. Interfering RF signals may be generated, for example, from nearby wireless devices such as other RFID readers, and also cellular telephones, personal digital assistants, and the like. In those instances, an RFID tag cannot detect the interrogating RF wave reliably, or parse its commands.
When an RFID reader detects that there is interference, it may lower the data rate of its transmission. This will permit any RFID tags that receive the transmission to analyze it more robustly.
The challenge, however, becomes that the RFID tags might not know the changed data rate of the transmission by the RFID reader. Accordingly, an RFID tag might not be able to discern the interrogating RF wave from interfering RF signals. If this happens, the RFID tag might not be able to analyze properly the interrogating RF wave for responding.